Overseas medical insurance is compulsory to join any of "Outside the Square" adventures.
This is part of insuring your safety, and so in the event of any emergency we have a telephone number and policy number to call to have you helped.
We are unable to give you advice on travel insurance as it is so dependent on your country of residence, your age, your risk tolerance, your pre-existing conditions, and the medical cover you may already have. Some people insure everything others opt for cheaper policies. What you need to join one of our trips is a policy that covers medical emergencies and evacuation. Other cover like luggage and cancelation is optional, though highly recommended.
Some people have credit cards which offer travel insurance as part of their product, and we accept this, but you need to ensure you meet all the credit cards terms and conditions, inform them, and get a confirmation letter from them that you are covered. Yes you can pay for part of your trip with us on Credit Card if you need to do this to activate your insurance, but note there is a charge to do this (on the amount you put through the credit card) and the CC insurance provided can be quite restrictive.
USA Although OTS states "Travel insurance" is compulsory to join our trips, what it actually means is "Medical Insurance" is compulsory. America is different to much of the rest of the world in this respect, and you may well find you are covered for international travel, under your existing American health care plan, and only need to take out cover for luggage and cancelation. The We-Travel payment platform also offers a travel insurance policy at the time of booking which you can checkout. NOTE: Medicare does NOT cover you outside the USA.
Contact your medical provider, and get them to email you something "in writing" that states you are covered in the country you are travelling to. Request an emergency contact number and a policy number to add to your OTS emergency contact form". Hospitals in Asia will mostly require this before they admit you.
Things like luggage, cancellation, delay. disruption insurance, these are recommended but not compulsory. It all depends on your risk tolerance profile. Please do your own research, you may find your medical insurance has a good policy add-on, or your a member of something like AA where you can add a travel insurance to and save money. Every policy is different and you need to choose what is right for you!